Chores @ The Nest ~ Eradicating Voles, Protecting Against Leaks, Cleansing Nespresso 26Oct23

I've had to use Vole Scram in the Spring and Fall to keep voles out of the back yard at the Nest. It kindof works for short periods but they return. I've also poured bait down what I think are their entrances but maybe not; the little buggers are still here. For my next try I built some poison bait delivery systems from furniture PVC parts. The upright tube is used to pour in new bait when low ~ this can even be done in winter through the snow. The cross pieces on the ground are dispensers for the bait. I secured each "trap" to the ground near vole sign with $.08 nails through holes I drilled in the 5 way piece. Vole moms can have 10-15 kids every 5-6 weeks so they can proliferate. Hope this works.

Nespresso machine began flowing very slow. I got some goodies to descale and clean the innards. Better now but the real issue is that the grid of "hole pokers" that are supposed to pierce the foil cover of the capsules tends to no longer do a great job. I cleaned them too but I think they are dull, or the "pusher arm" which pokes the back of the capsule and forces it forward into the "hole pokers" has declined in pressure.

While I have flood detection near the washing machine at the Nest, I still would like a scheme to prevent a burst washer pipe from flooding. We had a version of such a flood safe hose but cold stopped working; 3 problems: 1) my replacement regular hose made cold/hot adjustments out of balance, 2) online reviews for the original brand were bad as it really limits water flow even in the good case and extends washing times considerably, and 3) it wasn't flood safe any more. I purchased a new style of flood safe hoses and installed them at the Nest. I wasn't sure they'd fit as a control valve in the hose is pretty big. They fit and they run faster.

My chores are done for now. I'm hoping I need to wax my skis when I next return ~ Keystone is making snow despite the temps being 45° at the Nest this AM. Maybe with the addition of snow from a pending storm this weekend we'll get an opening next week.

Fishing With Greg ~ OMG 22Oct23 & 24Oct23

Greg said "let's plan on fishing in the spring," and we left it there... I decided "heck no" and called him for a fish day out his way on the Ark for Sunday. We fished Rincon on a nice day. Black mayfly emerger was the best bug for me though the Perdigon scored too. The fishing was an odd on-and-off day but we caught some and then headed to Salida for some food and beers at the new-to-me Moonlight brewery. Nice. Good to see GL again and we laid plans for another fall outing.

I convinced GL to come up to Summit for a trip to the Williams Fork ~ ok it didn't take too much convincing as he'd not been to this fine tailwater. I was hoping conditions had improved since my last trip there a couple weeks ago - maybe even some big browns migrating up from the Colorado to spawn. The weather was gorgeous though cool to start ~ we were hiking in, so not felt really. Flows too were a perfect 123cfs and steady for 8 days and the water was fairly clear. We caught a dozen or so fish each, most in the 16"-17" range. Greg caught the only rainbow even though I was tossing an egg in hopes of enticing a larger leftover 'bow chasing spawning browns. But we didn't see many redds or spawning action actually. All the bugs seemed to work ok ~ GL's fav was a hot spot BHPT and I succeeded with a black ice Perdigon, several kinds of mayflies and a couple of dark midges. The fish we caught were in great shape. It was a good day. We closed out with tunes on the NestMT while enjoying take out dinner and some ORB brew. A good day on Bill's with our 4 weights, and a decent intro to this water for Greg... thanks for coming up!

Rectified Again ~ Nest Music Theater Crossgrade 23Oct23

Well my 70 year old Sylvania rectifier died in my 300B SET amp in the NestMT.

I had the "stock" Shuguang 5Z3PJ rectifier from my original build so I was back online quickly. It's a strong rectifier too, even military "J" grade but it's only "fine" and not as open as the Sylvania and I am a bit dubious as it's like a 4th of July light show when I first turn it on. The Shuguang has resulted in multiple power fuse blowouts when I was trying to play the new NMT with center channel for Scooter. I need an alternative 5U4G design ~ for backup if nothing else.

I couldn't find another 1950's military Sylvania so I had to set my sights lower and looked for a well regarded alternative, or maybe two. Well, Tung Sol and RCA "coke bottle" 5U4G rectifiers are both touted by audiophiles however getting NOS versions was gonna cost me $100s... grrr. I set out and found used ones however that tested well supposedly. I bought one of each: a Tung Sol 5U4G and an RCA 5U4G. Interpreting the markings, the Tung Sol (322 ID) is from the 7th week in 1957 and the seller tested it very good at 110/112 (with 130 max) ~ it's a black plate, D getter version.

The RCA is seemingly more worn but tested strong as well at a similar 112/110 measurement. It also is a black plate D-getter style but from the 26th week of 1955. Neither tube was NIB so no original packaging. Just wrapped decently by the sellers and costing ~$40 each rather than $100s each. They frankly look equivalent.

As mentioned NOS NIB versions of these tube were too expensive for me given their likely affect on the system. Let's see how the used ones play in the NestMT. I've never thought rectifiers (part of the power supply, not the signal path) would make much difference in the sound an amp produced, however the Sylvania was better than the Shuguang to my ear previously. Not much difference in the SPL sweep as shown... however the RCA and TungSol were similar to my ear and both were smoother than the Shuguang and neither did fireworks like the Shuguang. I'm using the RCA to start.

Molly Tuttle & Golden Highway @ Cervantes ~ So Good 21Oct23

I headed up to Denver's Cervantes Masterpiece Theater for the Molly Tuttle concert. Sure I've seen her many times now but she never disappoints. She did 100 minutes of great bluegrass stuff with her band Golden Highway. Most of the tunes were from her latest album City of Gold, but she does keen covers and did so tonight with Dire Wolf and White Rabbit. She always offers some "Alice In Wonderland" references and sings songs about weed like "San Joquin" (bringin' in that Humbolt green) or "Down Home Dispensary." The sound was good at Cervantes and I arrived in line early enough to score a good listening spot right in front of the sound man. I was thankful the mix was good as I had forgotten ear plugs. I got a bit of the lay from a guy in line who is local and mainly sees stuff at Cervantes. Molly Tuttle's recent two albums are bluegrass and the band she's assembled is astounding and chock full of stars. Bronwyn Keith-Hines is a multi-year fiddle player of the year; Kyle Tuttle, Molly's cousin, is a killer banjo player and party-vibe guy with plenty of his own shows; Shelby Means is a mean bassist but contributes gorgeous backing vocals in Golden Highway as well; Dominick Leslie is a fine mandolin player from right in Colorado (his parents were at the show). Molly Tuttle herself is incomparable... she's a flatpicking wizzard regularly winning guitarist of the year but her vocals are just as good, and she's complimenting her leads with killer songwriting.

This show was outstanding; Denver was the last she'll play in the west on this City of Gold tour and I've never seen her stronger and with more power in her vocals or playing. It's fun to see her face flip into hyper-focus on some of the more complex picking parts she conceives... and then hop back to the mic to belt some more clever lines. Molly Tuttle is a national treasure and as a bandleader of outsized musicians named Golden Highway, she's crushing it ~ these shows and their albums and videos should not be missed. That is of course unless you must have drums, 'cause this stuff doesn't need percussion.

She did display her super-power, her alopecia, for several songs at the end of the show. One can only imagine being bald and hairless as kid ~ it undoubtedly helped shape the super-skills she now wields for us on stages and in studios around the world. Her song-writing and playing has always been stellar... I like the occasion when she sings stuff from back-catalog. I couldn't do the recording justice so I'll leave that for you to listen to the pro sets and house sounds.

Christina Vane, also now a Nashville singer-songwriter by transplant, was the excellent opener. She's obviously friends with Golden Highway band members and her set included some folks joining her for some songs, as well as excellent, original solo songs with sharp playing on a resonator guitar and solid vocals.

It's Difficult To Fish The Arkansas Tailwater 18Oct23

Yesterday I headed down I25 toward Pueblo after assuring the detour around the train derailment repairs wouldn't heavily impact travel time. While Google Maps said 54min total time, it would have been much more as the backup on I25 on arriving at mile marker 108 was 2 miles and 30 min ~ I took my pill and finally turned left onto Pinon to acquire a dirt road named Overton. Initially it was fine but soon enough it backed up for miles. I turned around and headed home.

Despite flows having been reduced to just ~70cfs and the heat persisting a bit, I headed out again but chose to go via Penrose today; down 115 and east on 50. I forgot that 115 is under construction and mostly 2 lane now. Plus, with the I25 closure, it was much more heavily trafficked than normal. Ugh. I took my pill and added the 40min to the typical 50min commute to the PT.

I think it is fixed now. So, arriving late I did encounter the tail end of a fall BWO hatch. The water is still a bit murky and the Silver Surfer was the ticket ~ except when the fry went for the #22 grey PopTop. I caught several 17" cutbows and a ton of fry, but nothing bigger. The RF Diamond Blaze dispatched flies well to the thin waters. The only good news from the traffic snafu was that I saw only one other (guided) 2-man team on the river @ the Nature Center section. I departed very early anyway.

I also picked up my next (Nov23-Nov24) Nature Center parking pass while there; it's just $25 for seniors. Izzy's darling.

Kala & I again got to score a round of golf @ King's Deer. Matt's now 29 and we celebrated with pumpkin cake (one of his favs from Kala) at Torchy's afterward.

Nest Music Theater Description Updated 14Oct23

I'm a mid-range DIY audiophile and my Nest Music Theater (NestMT) is the sweetest, most recent, and most customized system I've built. I prefer less expensive but very real "live" sound. I've listened to and tested many speakers in my life and definitely prefer high efficiency full range dynamic drivers. I've described variants of this system before but this is a comprehensive new writeup to reflect its current refined state. Only with the addition of the center channel this year have I renamed it from NestT to NestMT.

The Nest Music Theater is a high efficiency 3.1 audio system featuring custom designed and built back loaded horns, somewhat derived from the D37 cabinet design and employing  the fine Japanese Fostex 168e∑ 6.5" full range drivers, as L & R mains. The mains are augmented by a pair of high efficiency Russian Viawave SRT-7 ribbon super tweeters to hit the highest highs. The center channel is a pair of custom designed and built Onkens employing similar, but smaller 4", Fostex FE108e∑ full range drivers. The lowest frequencies are delivered by a musical 600 watt HSU ULS 15-Mk II sealed subwoofer.

I am driving the DRC BLHs with a custom hand-built 8 watt 300B (Czech KR Audio power tubes) single-ended-triode integrated amp (all tubes - power/rectifier/pre-amp) and I'm driving the DRC Onkens with a 20w push-pull Willsenton R8 loaded with modern Mullard EL34s. I deliver stereo line level to the sub and drive the super-tweeters in parallel from the 300B amp (as they are the same impedance as the mains). I mostly listen to digital sources and behind the stereo stuff is a sweet liquid sounding Chinese Denafrips Pontus discrete ladder (R2R) D/A connected via AES and behind the center channel signaling is a keen pro Dolby DP564. Sources include: 1) a bit-perfect FLAC or DSD stream from a tiny JRiver MC Linux PC modded for timing and media via a Topping 10S,  2) vinyl from a Project Carbon turntable & DS2 TubeBox pre-amp, through a German 192KHz/24bit AME A/D, and 3) YouTube/Vimeo via optical out from the Sony TV.  I use a mini-DSP DDRC 22D signal processor which uses DIRAC measurement and correction to yield a keen and balanced stream to the DAC. I also employ unique time delay gear, the Felston DD740, to delay and sync the center channel for processing delays incurred in the mini-DSP & DAC combo. I've dampened room reflections acoustically with rugs and installed great theater seating. Audio is augmented by a keen 77" Sony XBR-A9G OLED video monitor - excellent virtual concerts.

These are the discrete 20-20KHz sound pressure level sweeps of each of the mains, center, and subwoofer in the 3.1 system. Listeners integrate these seamlessly to experience a wide, consistent, and dynamic soundfield. This system includes no feedback whatsoever and renders source signals directly to my ears; it is the best I've done and is my reference. To me it is better than most theaters at which I hear concerts, though its location directly below our master bedroom sometimes keeps Kala awake.

October Music Appreciation ~ Just Me & My Schiit 11Oct23

This month it's just a stream of consciousness on "good stuff" from a review of some newish material...

Deadnotes On Audiotree Worldwide 29Sep23- punk pop duo/trio from Frieburg, Germany - only now in my awareness from Audiotree despite a 10 yr multi-EP career. Good.

Lawn On Audiotree Live 14Jul23 but just now released - post punk pop team assembled in New Orleans ~ I like it. I preferred Down, Familiar, and Johnny.

Olivia Rodrigo @ BBC Live Lounge "Vampire" 02Oct23 - Cool version... strong singer & good writer.

Lawrence @ The Eiffel Tower On iPhones 05Oct23 "I'm Insecure" - These guys can do anything... so good R&B. Or the full band live in DC @ The Anthem 01Oct23 doing "Heartburn Song."

Scary Pockets ft. Lucy Schwartz "Can't Take My Eyes Off Of You" 25Sep23  - Cause it is Scary Pockets with Lucy Schwartz.

Mustard Plug "Why Does It Have To Be So Hard?" Official Vid 22Sep23 - Ska(nky) tune.

Flying Racoon Suit "Swan Song" Official Vid Sep23 - Still SKA time... some young folks are doin' SKA proud.

Lake Street Dive w/ Madison Cunningham "The Neighbor Song" 05Oct23 - Yeah, good song, even improved vocals (hard to imagine) with Madison there.

Stories ft Elise Trouw "Wouldn't It Be Nice" Beach Boys cover 09Jun23 - Featured here despite a smidge old because the guy recording and playing back Elise's vocal lines to dual kills it. Good version like the OG.

The Brothers Comatose ft Ronnie McCoury "The IPA Song" 03Oct23 - Closing it here for obvious reasons.

It's Silver Surfer Time And The Rodfather Rainbow Is Fixed 10Oct23

Fall is silver surfer time. Why? During the fall turnover in the lakes above tailwaters I fish, the water gets turbid and turns a bit off color at the effluent and below. In those conditions I like a bit more flashy mayflies to be visible through the dinge. It's a pretty easy tie but a bit crowded: #20 2488H, grey thread, silver holographic tinsel body, small blue wire ('cause they don't make XS), grey wet hackle fiber tail, silver holographic ice dubbed thorax, and grey wet hackle "legs." It has done well on the Blue and the Arkansas.

During the Brown's & our jaunt up Beaver Ck, Steve had an issue with his Rodfather rod ~ the fixed fighting butt and the end cap that holds the reel foot broke off and was lost. I found the parts needed and repaired his Rodfather Rainbow better than new. That is, given it broke of so easily last time, I added a dowel down the center of the fighting butt and end cap and into the butt section of the rod. If it comes apart again it will have had to have been a serious problem.

Our timing seems right to have come down from Summit as its color peaked, since we are now enjoying great color on the Front Range.

Hot Day On The PT 09Oct23

By 'hot' I mean in the 80s, not great fishing. Since back on the Front Range and noticing flows had been finally increased to 185cfs on the Arkansas tailwater, I headed down. I arrived at 10:20am but earlier would have been better as the water was warm to start and became almost hot. I caught of number of smallish fish including a 17" brown and some 15" rainbows. I didn't see a lot of fish so made sure my Perdigon and friends rig was clicking the bottom. The weight worked as did Jimi's Ax and the DCEZWD40. I left early at 1:30pm when things really slowed. Net net, the PT isn't ready for prime time yet.

Fantastic Friends Show @ The Ogden 09Oct23

Sammy Rae & The Friends were outstanding at the Ogden Theater tonight. Ogden's sound was decent, the mix was good, the crowd was excited, and Samantha Bowers (aka Sammy Rae) sounded great, as did her entire band. The show was packed; it was so with many who could sing all the songs ~ me included. Sure I was 4X the average age of attendees and stood in a 3 city block long line to enter but yeah, it was worth it.

I reviewed her material before in Music Appreciation HERE, and she sang most of her latest album plus a new song, "Luck Of The Drill (?)," as well as some older ones during the 105min set. The entire band's vibes and songs are so upbeat and inclusive it is infectious. She played keys a couple of times, which is normal, but she also played banjo on one finale and a guitar (for the 1st time on tour, or that's what she said) one time. She often prompted the crowd for hands, waves, and choruses and mostly folks obliged ~ not quite my thing but I sang along. They dubbed the extensive tour "The Camp" Tour as there isn't any specific material release associated with it and "Camp" allows them to play around with whatever they like ~ on a couple of songs everybody changed instruments and jumped out of their comfort zones. While pretty cool, these were not the best tunes.

I only made one video from the show - the 2nd song of the set was "Follow Me Like The Moon."

The opening act was Fleece, a Montreal alternative band. They were good. Matt, the main guy on keys & lead, and Megan were both strong singers.

Update 11Oct23... I found evidence today that the Ogden concert was not at all the first time on tour that Samantha played guitar live in front of an audience. I watched earlier examples this year on the Camp Tour of her playing guitar on stage. I don't understand why she would say it was the first time (maybe she was referencing the Camp Tour itself but it did not seem like it), but she absolutely did. Maybe I'm sensitive because I just read a good New Yorker article on Ariely & Gino, major social behaviorists, who falsified data for their study on deceit. More lies are told by those who lie, than others. I fear I need to watch this one carefully... it is so minor, why do it?